Wheel chair abstract
This folding wheel-chair is characterized by a rigid seat and a
rigid back-rest and that is nevertheless of simple construction
and operation. This folding wheel-chair comprises a pair of opposite
sides, each including an upper portion upwardly slidable relative
to a corresponding lower portion, a pair of braces articulated to
each other intermediate their ends and to the lower and upper portions
at their opposite ends about fore and aft axes, a pair of offsetting
arms pivotally supporting one side of the rigid seat on the upper
portion of one side of the wheel-chair, supporting members removably
resting on the upper portion of the other side of the wheel-chair,
and a rigid back-rest foldable over the rigid seat for bodily pivoting
therewith to an upwardly edgewise position between the opposite
sides of the wheel-chair upon folding of the latter.
Wheel chair claims
What I claim is:
1. A folding wheel-chair operatively comprising a pair of opposite
sides, an articulated bracing hinged to the opposite sides and folding
therewith from an unfolded position to a folded position of the
opposite sides with the latter, in their folded position, extending
in laterally closer spaced-apart relationship, each of said opposite
sides including a seat-carrying rod longitudinally extending in
the fore and aft direction, a rigid base seat, at least one offsetting
arm longitudinally extending laterally relative to said opposite
sides and having an inner end pivotally connected to the rigid base
seat under the same and intermediate its side edges, and an outer
end pivotally connected to the seat-carrying rod of one of said
opposite sides, with said one offsetting arm longitudinally extending
laterally under the rigid base seat in supporting relationship therewith
in the unfolded position of said opposite sides and upwardly and
laterally offsetting the rigid base seat relative to said one side
edge of said rigid base seat in the folded position of said opposite
sides, a support device fixedly secured to said rigid base seat
adjacent its other side edge and including a cylindrically concave
bottom portion axially extending in the fore and aft direction for
removably resting operatively onto the seat-carrying rod on the
other of said opposite sides in the unfolded position of said opposite
sides, and a rigid base back-rest hinged to the rigid base seat
and operatively foldable from an erected operative position to a
folded inoperative position over the rigid base seat.
2. A folding wheel-chair as defined in claim 1, wherein said cylindrically
concave bottom portion includes a projection extending in the fore
and aft direction and a locking sleeve is engaged around the seat-carrying
rod on the other of said opposite sides and is selectively slidable
fore and aft along the same rod for locking engagement over said
projection, thereby locking the rigid base seat in operative position.
3. A folding wheel-chair as defined in claim 2, wherein each of
said opposite sides includes a lower portion and an upper portion
upwardly slidable relative one to the other, and said articulated
bracing includes a pair of transversely-extending braces having
an intermediate portion hinged one to the other about a fore and
aft axis and having each an upper end portion hinged to a corresponding
upper portion of said one and said other opposite sides and having
each a lower end portion hinged to a corresponding lower portion
of said one and said other opposite sides.
4. A folding wheel-chair as defined in claim 3 wherein said upper
end portions of the braces are outwardly offset laterally away from
each other and complementarily form a lateral interspace constructed
and arranged to engage the rigid base seat upwardly edgewise therein.
5. A folding wheel-chair as defined in claim 1, further including
at least one locking pin connection joining the rigid base back-rest
to the rigid base seat.
6. A folding wheel-chair as defined in claim 1, wherein a pair
of back-rest hinges include each a first hinge portion and a second
hinge portion pivoted to the first hinge portion, the rigid base
seat includes a pair of projections fixedly engaging in the fore
and aft direction into the first hinge portions, respectively, and
the rigid base back-rest includes a pair of projections slidably
engaged in the second hinge portions, respectively, and in the first
hinge portions, respectively, and are constructed and arranged to
release the second hinge portions for pivoting thereof and the rigid
base back-rest bodily therewith relative to the first hinge portions
and to the rigid base seat, and means preventing removal of said
last-named projections from within said second hinge portions.
7. A folding wheel-chair as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner
end of said one offsetting arm is pivotally connected under the
rigid base seat and said one offsetting arm longitudinally extends
laterally under the rigid base seat in supporting relationship therewith
in the unfolded position of said opposite sides.
8. A folding wheel-chair operatively comprising a pair of opposite
sides, an articulated bracing hinged to the opposite sides and folding
therewith to a position with the opposite sides extending in laterally-closer
spaced-apart relationship, a rigid base seat hingedly connected
on one side relative to one of said opposite sides, a support device
secured to the rigid base seat and removably supporting the latter
on the other of said opposite sides, a rigid base back-rest, and
a hinge connection hingedly connecting said rigid base back-rest
to the rigid base seat for operatively folding said rigid base back-rest
from an erected operative position to a folded inoperative position
over the rigid base seat, said hinge connection including a pair
of back-rest hinges, each including a first hinge portion and a
second hinge portion pivoted to the first hinge portion, the rigid
base seat including a pair of projections fixedly engaging in the
fore and aft direction into the first hinge portions, respectively,
and the rigid base back-rest including a pair of projections slidably
engaged in the second hinge portions, respectively, and in the first
hinge portions respectively in the operative position of said rigid
base back-rest, upward pulling on said rigid base back-rest causing
each last-named projections to clear the first hinge portions and
release the second hinge portions for pivoting of the latter and
of the rigid base back-rest bodily therewith relative to the first
hinge portions and to the rigid base seat, and means preventing
removal of the projections of said rigid base back-rest from within
said second hinge portions.
Wheel chair description
This invention relates to a folding wheel-chair.
The folding wheel-chairs are now commonly made with a flexible
seat and back-rest, such as of canvas, to allow folding of the chair.
The flexible seat and back-rest are found uncomfortable to the user,
in particular when he has to spend long times in his wheel-chair.
Besides, the flexible seat and back-rest do not firmly support the
user's body, causing problems associated with bad posture of the
body.
There has been proposed a folding wheel-chair with a rigid seat.
However, the resulting wheel-chair still embodies a flexible back-rest
and uses a relatively complex articulated transverse bracing.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a folding
wheel-chair that avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages.
It is an otherwise stated general object of the present invention
to provide a folding wheel-chair that avoids the disadvantages particularly
associated to a wheel-chair having a flexible seat, a flexible back-rest,
or both.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a folding
wheel-chair including a rigid base seat and a rigid back-rest and
that is nevertheless of simple construction and operation and which
enables the use of orthopedic pads to correct deformations of the
user's body.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention
will be better understood by reference to the following detailed
description of a preferred embodiment thereof which is illustrated,
by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a folding wheel-chair according
to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the same chair with the back-rest folded
down over the seat;
FIG. 3 is still a front elevation view but with the wheel-chair
in partly-folded position;
FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-section through a hinge connection between
the back-rest and the seat of the wheel-chair of FIGS. 1, 2, and
3;
FIGS. 5 and 6 are top and elevation views, respectively, of a sliding
joint between an upwardly-sliding upper side portion and a fixed
post of the same wheel-chair; and
FIGS. 7 and 7a are a view of support and locking arrangement on
one side of the rigid seat, in unlocked and locked position, respectively.
The illustrated folding wheel-chair comprises a pair of opposite
sides, each separately carried by the conventional large propelling
wheel 1 and small caster wheel 2. The construction of those wheels
and their connection to a wheel-chair is well known in the art and
does not form part of the present invention.
Each of the opposite sides of the wheel-chair comprises a lower
portion formed by a tubular frame to which the corresponding wheels
1 and 2 are rotatively secured. This tubular frame includes a pair
of fore and aft bars 3 and 4 rigidly secured to a pair of tubular
posts 5 and 6. Each of the posts 6 ends into a handle 7. Each of
the forward posts 5 is open at the top. Each of the opposite sides
of the wheel-chair also includes an upper portion that is slidable
up and down relative to the corresponding lower side portion. Each
upper side portion includes a fore and aft bar 8 and an upright
post 9 rigidly projecting endwise downwardly from the forward end
of the corresponding fore and aft bar 8 and slidable endwise up
and down inside the corresponding tubular front post 5. A sliding
block 10 is fixedly secured to the rear end of each fore and aft
bar 8 and is provided with a rear surface portion complementarily
curved to guidingly slide up and down against the front of the corresponding
rear post 6, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.
An articulated bracing 11 transversely interconnects the opposite
sides of the wheel-chair to move the sides transversely toward and
away relative to each other. The articulated bracing includes a
pair of braces 12 articulated to each other by a pivot pin 13 extending
through their intermediate portion and defining a fore and aft pivot
axis. The lower end of each brace 12 is hinged to the corresponding
fore and aft bar 3, while the upper end of each brace is hinged
to the corresponding fore and aft bar 8, all about fore and aft
axes. As may be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, when the braces 12 pivot
to unfold the wheel-chair, the upper side portions of the opposite
sides of the chair move downward with retraction of the posts 9
into the tubular front posts 5 and with sliding of the sliding blocks
10 against the rear posts 6. When the braces 12 pivot to fold the
wheel-chair to bring the opposite sides closer to each other, the
posts 9 and the blocks 10 upwardly slide relative to the bottom
side portions. This upper portion of each brace 12 is laterally
offset outwardly to define a predetermined lateral interspace between
the braces.
For each of the opposite sides of the wheel-chair, there is provided
a hinge 14, shown in details in FIG. 4, for a back-rest 15. Each
hinge 14 includes a sleeve 16 axially aligned in the fore and aft
direction and fixedly secured on a bracket 17 having upstanding
arms 18 carrying a pivot pin 19 between them. Each hinge 14 also
includes a pivotable sleeve 20 that is fixedly secured on a bearing
21 rotatable around the corresponding pivot pin 19. Thus, pivotable
sleeve 20 of each hinge 14 is pivotable between an axially upright
position, shown in full lines, and an axially fore and aft position,
shown in dashed lines in FIG. 4. The back-rest 15 is provided with
a pair of downwardly-projecting pins 22 slidable in the two pivotable
sleeves 20 defined by the two hinges 14. A cross pin 20', carried
by sleeve 20, engages a flat 20" in pin 22 to prevent removal
of pin 22 from sleeve 20. The pins 22 have each an outer end adapted
to engage into a top hole 16' of the fore and aft sleeve 16 and
thus lock the back-rest in upstanding position. A seat 23 has a
pair of rearwardly-projecting pins 24 inserted into, and fixed to,
the pair of axially fore and aft sleeves 16. Upon pulling upwardly
on back rest 15, pins 22 clear holes 16' and the back-rest 15 is
allowed to pivot about pivot pins 19 to fold over seat 23.
It must be noted that both the seat and the back-rest are rigid
in whole, or they at least have a rigid base to effectively operate
in this case, as if totally of rigid construction. For that purpose,
the terms rigid base seat and rigid base back-rest are used to indicate
that the invention is applicable also to a upholstered unit as long
as there is a rigid base in it.
A pair of offsetting arms 25 extend transversely of the wheel-chair
and have an outer end secured to a sleeve 26 to pivot around the
fore and aft bar 8 and have their inner end hinged against the bottom
of the rigid base seat at 27. Thus, as seen in FIG. 2, the offsetting
arms 25 are adapted to support the corresponding side of the seat.
A pair of seat-carrying supports 28 and 29, which could be made
in a single piece, are secured longitudinally along the other side
of the seat and are each provided with a cylindrically concave bottom
portion to rest on the corresponding fore and aft bar 8 and, thus,
support the corresponding side of the seat. The support 28 is provided
with an axial projection 30. A locking sleeve 31 is slidably engaged
around the corresponding fore and aft seat-carrying bar 8 to slide
over the axial projection 30 and, thus, lock the seat against accidental
tilting.
As shown in FIG. 3, the offsetting arms 25 allow to upwardly and
laterally offset the seat and back-rest assembly relative to the
corresponding side of the wheel-chair and such that the same assembly
fits upwardly edgewise into the fore-mentioned interspace defined
by the outward offset in the braces 12. FIG. 3 shows an intermediate
position; the chair can be completely folded by further upwardly
pivoting arms 25 to a vertical position. When folded, the wheel-chair
does not take any more lateral room than a conventional foldable
wheel-chair having flexible seat and back-rest.
Folding of the chair is accomplished as follows:
Sleeve 31 is unlocked and back-rest 15 is pulled up and folded
over seat 23; seat 23 is slightly lifted to that supports 28, 29
clear adjacent bar 8; seat 23 is tilted downwardly about axis 27,
as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, and pulled up to pivot arms
25 upwardly while handles 7 are brought together to fold the wheel-chair
in the lateral direction. |